Tiptoe Through the Tulips
by The Slytherin Unicorn
Summary: She gave a soft, yet heartbreaking smile, "Don't be silly Harry, broken crayons can still color." reincarnation/self-insert
1. prologue

_**"Death is the dropping of the flower that the fruit may swell."-Henry Beecher**_

Petunia Ivy Dursley nee' Evans was many things. Good Lord, you could call her plenty of other things too, but never could you accurately judge the cover of her battered and ordinarily-looking book.

Vanity and bitter jealously may have warped her heart until it was hollow, nevertheless, it did not mean Petunia did not care for her sister, her family.

Buried in the deepest depth of her heart, Petunia the little girl who had yet to face rejection, missed her baby sister.

Petunia, the eldest daughter still even after their death, craved the love and attention of William and Rose Evans.

Petunia hated, feared, craved, and longed for the touch of magic that was literally fingertips away from her touch.

A small part of her detested her husband, Vernon, though an even larger part loved him just the same.

Dudley Vernon Dursley was an enormous child with a red squashed face and a loud pair of lungs. Sweat clung to Petunia's overly thin neck in the late June heat but staring into the blue eyes of her child, her son with wispy blonde hair she found for once her heart unaching.

The moment was shattered four hours later when the quiet whines of Tulip Marigold Evans greeted her mother after following her elder brother out of the womb. Tulip Evans with her tuft of Strawberry-blonde hair and soft looking features caused Petunia to cry with heartbreak and relief.

In the Highlands of Scotland, the magical school of Hogwart's self-updating book glowed with a newly registered name.

_Tulip Evans._


	2. Chapter 1-Tulip Evans

_**"Even a small star shines in the darkness."**_

* * *

At first, there was confusion that quickly turned into terror as she found herself in the largest pair of hands she's ever seen. Oh, who was she kidding, she could not see,_** period**_. The other four senses of hers function just fine; though it doesn't lessen the terror she feels.

The metal she is placed on is bitterly cold and all the words she hears communicated become like fog to her ears. The blanket she's wrapped in after the embarrassing wipe down is warm and-

Oh, God.

She fucking _**died**_.

The water had burned going down her throat and drowning was so _**painful**_.

The helplessness, despair, and madly driven terror for her willingness to _**survive**_, and she somehow did this kind of?

Months go by in a blur while there's a soothing temper of a man's voice that gives her a strange sense of comfort with his callous covered hands and slightly off key-singing. She knows the scowl she gives while he counts her fingers and toes amuses him to no end.

She makes her toys float in the middle of a teething tantrum, looks she gets from her father is both resignation and ferocity to protect.

Her mother doesn't seem to like her too much though.

It had literally taken until her bitsy cousin landed on their doorstep in the of what would be a bitterly cold November for her to realize the full concept of her rebirth.

Petunia Dursley, a woman with beautiful long strawberry-blonde hair and teal eyes who seemed to ignore her presence with determination for the favor of her apparently older twin brother.

Vernon Dursley, a man with sandy hair and beefy hands who held her in comfort with protectiveness much like a mother bear with her cubs.

Dudley was strange because she honestly hadn't a clue he was there until her new father mentioned him briefly.

Harry Potter was the cutest by far in her not so humble opinion. The tiny savior's hair was a silky wave of inky-blue curls which she might have enjoyed pulling on them a little too much. While her skin was of a peachy cream complexion that glistens underneath the sunlight, her cousin a warm amber tone that reminded her of mid-fall weather. Tulip was fond and a tad jealous of his intense smaragdine colored eyes.

Tulip, Harry, and Vernon of all people spend the most time together.

Tulip finds the tension in the house suffocating and wonders if the fights her parents get into are her fault.

Petunia still doesn't like her and the heart that beats aches in pain; wondering why she won't love her too.

* * *

Petunia strives to love the daughter who bears her maiden name and honor.

_**She tries so hard.**_

Tulip looks identical to Lily Evans that she wonders if she's somehow done magic to make her their daughter instead.

It utterly hurts to look at the baby she carried, birthed, and loved so deeply only to come face to face with her hated past.

Sun-rose hair, and eyes that match with the freak of a nephew, she can't handle it.

Petunia knows Vernon is disappointed in her and the love between them is slowly fading, "Why don't you try and hold Tulip today, love?" Vernon pleaded with his wife as he held the squirming infant in his overly beefy hands.

Petunia froze for a moment before going back to feeding Dudley; who was already too enormous for an infant his age, "I'm feeding Dudly-kins." she denied stiffly.

Vernon narrowed his blue eyes at his wife while hands wrapped protectively around the little flower. "Petunia it's unfair for you to ignore one child for favor of the other." Petunia continued to ignore Vernon as if he wasn't holding her own flesh and blood.

Vernon gave a disappointed sigh, "What about Harry, Petunia? Where should he be placed?" He inquired as his thoughts trailed off to the quiet and sweet boy.

"The Freak can go under the stairs where he'll be out of sight and away from Dudley." she spat clenching the silver spoon tightly. "How dare those Freaks drop that demon off here of all places! He could infect Dudley and T-Tulip." she stuttered in the end.

"PETUNIA!" Vernon roared disgust clear on his face at the thought she wanted to throw a defenseless child beneath the stairs and into darkness. Though, maybe once upon a time if Tulip hadn't been born, Harry might have ended up there. "CHILDREN DON'T GO UNDERNEATH STAIRS!"

Petunia turned to him blonde hair blended in red that swept up behind her in the fury and frustration she was facing, "THEN YOU FIND A PLACE FOR THE BRAT!"

"Petunia, I know that you didn't get along with your sister, but this bitterness will eat your heart until nothing is left if you don't let things go. Your sister is gone and the only peace you can up for is sleeping in the smallest room of the house." Vernon shook his head before taking Tulip out of the room and away from the hateful banshee his wife had become.

* * *

Vernon adored the daughter he thought he was never going to have and felt blessed to the core of his soul. Vernon knew he wasn't a righteous man and that he often had a temper that got the best of him, but he was gracious, he would settle his temper and protect the precious things close to his heart.

Vernon enjoys counting his daughter's tiny fingers and toes while reflecting in awe to how delicate they were. Tulip is the definition of delicate and Vernon knows he will have to buy a gun to threaten the disgusting men who will come by and try to woo his daughter.

Everything's perfect until a teething tantrum causes Tulip's belongings to float before Vernon's eyes.

Vernon had an inner heart attack; his wife could not know what their daughter had done. Vernon loved his wife a lot, so he knew that she had unknowingly brushed aside their daughter who looked so like her dead sister she will never recognize. "Papa's, here." he cooed softly to the crying infant. "I'll keep you safe."

Vernon enjoys seeing his daughter's first wobbles and the cooing of "Da!" that leaves her mouth, he, however, personally suffers the heartache when he notices his intelligent green-eyed daughter wanting the affections of her mother.

It's getting harder to hide Tulip's magic.


	3. Chapter 2-Dear T Evans

**_"Please, for the sake of my shattered and exhausted heart, don't turn out to be like everybody else."-Nikita Gill_**

Petunia and Vernon call quits on their marriage two months after the twins' third birthday. Vernon got full custody of Tulip and visitation for Dudley. Petunia got the opposite and had Tulip only for part of the holidays and summer. Strangely, Vernon got full custody of Harry Potter even though he was not blood-related to the tiny tot. Vernon holds his daughter in one hand while another covered in sweat carries the wedding ring Vernon painstakingly picked out. "Mama, go?" A small hand pats the side of his face gently.

Vernon snaps out of his melancholy thoughts and gives his daughter a forlorn expression, "Mama and Dudley are going to live in a different house while Harry, you, and I will continue to live here." he replies softly as he hears her stomach growl. "Let's wake Harry and eat something."

"Dada!" Tulip chirped as she clapped her hands together and miniature fireworks began to rain down in the living room. "Dada!" she cooed as she pressed her head against his chest and tried her best to give the man any sort of comfort she could.

Vernon gives a quiet smile at the display and marvels at the wonderful things his daughter will do in the future. "Thanks, poppet." Vernon gives a groan as he heads up the stairs and into Harry's room where the boy was standing in his crib with a grin on his face. "Hello, Harry, what has you so happy today?"

"Tuli!" he exclaimed happily as he stretched out towards his cousin.

"Of course Tulip would make you happy." Vernon sighed out as he picked Harry up from the crib. "I feel like you don't love me." Vernon gave a frown.

"No! I like Da!" Harry exclaimed loudly causing one of the light fixtures to bust.

Vernon paused for a moment surprised that Harry labeled him as his father, "No, Harry." Vernon responded quietly as he picked the toddler up and saddled him on his other hip. Carrying two toddlers was a pain, but he has learned to deal with it. "I'm uncle Vernon." he feels his lower back crack as he nearly tripped over the last step. "Your papa went to a place called heaven with your mama," Vernon explained softly to Harry as he sat them downed in their highchair seats.

Harry gave a head tilt to Vernon his wide startling green eyes swimming with thoughts and confusion. "Da!" he cooed as he pointed at Vernon.

Vernon shook his head firmly, "No Harry, Uncle Vernon. Say it with me Un-Cle Ver-non." he bent down to match Harry's level, so he would know it was a serious talk. "Your mom and dad were brave warriors who fought to protect us and when they finished their job, they had to go to heaven to help God because they were so good at being Warriors here on Earth."

"Ucle Da!" Harry coos with a glint of satisfaction as Tulip giggles as she smacks her tiny fists on the highchair.

Vernon gave an awkward grunt, "I guess it''s better than nothing for now." he huffed as he turned to the fridge. "Harry, don't you even try to turn these eggs into chocolate ones again." he ended sternly.

It was just another day in the Dursley household.

* * *

Seasons appeared and like flower buds, the children of the Dursley home grew. The pictures that hung on display showed two children who grew up in a happy home with fewer pictures of a chubby boy and a worriedly thin woman.

"HARRRRRRY!" Tulip cheered as she jumped unto her pseudo-brother's chest. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Harry removed the covers from his face to give his older cousin a dry squint, "Ow, Tulip." he grunted pushing Tulip off himself and to the floor. "What does Uncle Vernon feed you?" he joked.

"HARRY!" the reincarnated girl hissed as she sat up dusty strawberry-blonde hair tumbling down her back into wild curls. "Are you calling me fat!" She gasped with indignation.

Harry only gave a bark of laughter as he jumped over his cousin and bolted downstairs, "HARRY!" His cousin screamed once more, causing him to snicker underneath his breath as his uncle Vernon gave Harry a pointed glance as he slid into his seat.

Ten year old Harry Potter could not remember a time when he wasn't without his cousin Tulip. The younger boy of course knew that his real parents passed away when he was barely a toddler and sometimes late at night he would undergo a soul crushing numbness of being alone. Tulip always seemed to know when he would get in one of these moods and crawl into bed with sweet stories as whispers from her mouth.

Tulip was wise, compassionate, clumsy, and so bright. He said that once to his uncle how bright Tulip was.

_"I knew your cousin was special when I first held her. She came out quiet with a smile on her face."_

_"I probably farted on my way out." Tulip bluntly states much to Harry's mortification when he retells the conversation to her later on in their garden._

Tulip was home and comfort after a long day that was too loud, too _**much.**_

Harry was already halfway through his first pancake when Tulip came tumbling down the stairs after finally untangling the blanket from her legs. "Birthday pancakes!" Harry cheered happily mouth full of banana nut pancakes.

"Cheers!" Tulip chirps as she sits and immediately began to pile pancakes on her plate. "Dad's pancakes are the best." she moans, happily licking the sticky syrup from around her mouth.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth Tulip Marigold Evans," Vernon scolds lightly, though the smile on his face is one of amusement.

Harry gives a snicker underneath his breath, "Marigold," as he shovels another pancake in his mouth.

"Hadrian!" Tulip hisses much like a cat who took a tumble into the bathwater. "Shove it!"

Harry's face twists like a sour lemon when he hears his real name instead of the nickname he preferred. "Tuli, not cool." he pouts.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT EITHER!" Tulip groans as the lightbulb in the kitchen explodes, "Sorry, daddy." she whispers cheeks flooded with shame.

"I'm starting to think it's a good thing you two will be going to school to control this," Vernon muses dryly already used to the flickering lights and bursting bulbs. "I think that's the longest the kitchen's lightbulb has last." he ended with a quirk of his lips showing his daughter he wasn't mad in the slightest.

"Uncle?" Harry cocked his head to the side in curiosity, "School?"

Vernon with a deep sigh removed two oddly shaped envelopes from his chest pocket, "Do you remember what I told you that your parents passed away and that what you both do is perfectly normal?" he placed one envelope in front of Harry and gave the other to Tulip who suddenly went solemn.

"Yes, uncle." Harry softly spoke as he clutched the letter tightly in his petite hands. "My parents were warriors who helped protect our country from the shadows."

"When your mother was a little girl, she could do special things too. Bloom flowers and call the wind to her finger tips." Vernon spoke as he recalled the spiteful conversations of his former wife, whose eyes shined in both hate and envy. "When she was eleven she was delivered a letter to a school by a strange women. You see Harry," he pauses as allows his nephew to caress the envelope eyes, staring intently with wonder and a minuscule vestige of longing. "Tulip is a witch like your mother while you are a wizard."


End file.
